Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023
Do Democrats have a supermajority in the Nevada Legislature?
Nevada Democrats have a supermajority in the state Assembly, but not in the Senate.
A supermajority is achieved when one party holds two-thirds of the seats in a legislative body.
In the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats gained one seat in the Senate and two in the Assembly. They now hold 28 of the Assembly’s 42 seats — a bare supermajority. In contrast, Democrats hold 13 of the Senate’s 21 seats — one short of a supermajority.
With the election of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in 2022, Nevada has a split government. Because Democrats do not have a supermajority in both chambers, they are unable to override a gubernatorial veto.
Democrats also cannot raise state taxes without a two-thirds vote in the Nevada Legislature, as stipulated in a constitutional amendment approved by Nevada voters in 1994.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Ballotpedia Nevada State Legislature
- Nevada Legislature Vetoes
- Ballotpedia Nevada Legislative Supermajority for Tax Increases, Question 11 (1994)
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